Motive: episodes
49 recent episodes from the show's feed. Back to the show
Introducing - You Didn't See Nothin
May 1, 2023 · 2 min
Here's another podcast we think you'll find interesting. Twenty-five years ago in Chicago, a little boy named Lenard Clark was beaten into a coma just for being Black. Almost overnight, the news stories turned to racial reconciliation and forgiveness. From writer Yohance Lacour, You Didn't See Nothin is an investigation into how that happened, and a memoir of coming-of-age in Chicago. Full series
6: Aftermath
Mar 2, 2023 · 40 min
Host: Patrick Smith Producer: Marie Mendoza
5: Collateral Damage
Feb 23, 2023 · 38 min
A 14-year-old boy whose father was wounded in a gang shooting faces down threats of violence and the temptations of joining a gang. Meanwhile, a person who killed one woman and wounded another will avoid criminal charges.
4: Getting In And Getting Out
Feb 16, 2023 · 33 min
The gang murder of 7-year-old Jaslyn Adams shook Chicago and affected many of the anti-violence workers on the West Side. As former gang members they sympathized with Jaslyn’s dad, Jontae, his desire to spend time with his daughter and how that put her at risk of violence. Jontae still struggles with the guilt. And when he decided to help police catch his daughter’s killers his gang friends turned
3: Underpaid And Underappreciated
Feb 9, 2023 · 35 min
Host: Patrick Smith Producer: Marie Mendoza
2: De/Escalation
Feb 2, 2023 · 35 min
Host: Patrick Smith Producer: Marie Mendoza
1: After The Gunfire
Jan 26, 2023 · 37 min
Host: Patrick Smith Producer: Marie Mendoza
'Motive' Season 5 Podcast Trailer
Jan 17, 2023 · 2 min
Producer: Marie Mendoza Host: Patrick Smith
Bonus: Prisoncast
Dec 14, 2022 · 30 min
In this bonus episode of Motive, we bring you some excerpts from a special project we created. After a years-long investigation into prisons, we wanted to make something that wasn’t just about people in prison, but also for them. In August of this year we collaborated with radio stations across Illinois to create a broadcast that was heard in prisons statewide. We played sounds incarcerated peop
Motive Presents “Through the Cracks”
Jun 2, 2022 · 34 min
From our friends at WAMU and PRX. When 8 year old Relisha Rudd disappeared from a homeless shelter in Washington, D.C. in 2014, nobody noticed. By the time authorities formally declared Relisha “missing,” 18 days had passed since she’d been spotted at school or the shelter where her family lived. Seven years later, Relisha has never been found. Through The Cracks investigates gaps in our society a
7: Where Life is Precious, Life is Precious
May 19, 2022 · 36 min
Prisons helped rural towns, while Black communities in Chicago paid a heavy price. Now, rumors swirl that parts of Pontiac prison may close.
6: The Prison Sweepstakes
May 12, 2022 · 42 min
In the 1980s Illinois leaders held a competition, where rural towns competed to “win” prisons and the jobs that come with them.
5: The Trial
May 5, 2022 · 37 min
Two Illinois prison guards were tried for beating Larry Earvin to death. We try to make sense of the trial and what it says about prisons?
Update: The Trial, and Other News
Apr 25, 2022 · 2 min
A short update on Motive Season Four.
4: No Justice in Politics
Apr 18, 2022 · 44 min
A man goes into prison with a 7 year sentence. But ends up getting 97 more years. How does that happen? And what do small town politics have to do with it?
3: The Major and Her Crew
Apr 11, 2022 · 46 min
State investigators interrogate a high-ranking prison guard, who is accused of coordinating attacks on prisoners.
2: Us and Them
Apr 4, 2022 · 41 min
Damaria Bates and Jimia Stokes started their jobs as mental health workers, full of hope. But soon, they saw signs of severe abuse-- mentally ill prisoners with injuries, drenched in tear gas. When they tried to report the problems, they say fellow staff retaliated against them. In this episode we go behind the walls with the two women, as they try to make changes from the inside out. As two of t
1: The Blind Spot
Mar 28, 2022 · 40 min
Men in an Illinois prison said they were beaten in a spot with no security cameras. But no one took action, until someone died. Exposing violence and cover ups, Season 4 of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest episode drops, behind-the-scenes stor
'Motive' Season 4 Podcast Trailer
Mar 14, 2022 · 2 min
Exposing violence and cover ups, the new season of Motive investigates the hidden world of big prisons in small towns. Places where everyone knows each other and difficult truths get buried. Sign up for the Motive newsletter for the latest episode drops, behind-the-scenes stories, additional content and updates on events
8: Bloodlines
Oct 23, 2020 · 36 min
Clark Martell was at the vanguard of reviving the white supremacist movement. Then, he disappeared. His trail reveals how sex, money, and blood have kept the movement alive.